Whanganui man Mark Goodier still fighting EQC 2 years on

Mark Goodier's uninhabitable property. Photo/File

Two years after flooding destroyed his home and part of the land it sits on, Whanganui man Mark Goodier is still fighting the Earthquake Commission over repair bills.

A payout offered by EQC for repairs was not enough, he said, as the house was uninhabitable after the flood damage.

The Council red-stickered the property after the flooding in June 2015.

Repairs to the property's retaining wall were estimated at $240,000 - more than the property is worth - but the payout offered was just $113,000.

Mr Goodier and his wife moved into rented accommodation after the flood, which was initially paid for by insurance.

"We had an insurance policy that enabled us to do that at the start but obviously that ran out a long time ago," he said.

Virtually no progress has been made since Mr Goodier decided to take legal action last year.

"There was meant to be a telephone conference call on the 11th of September but EQC decided, in its wisdom, to come to re-inspect the house only a few days before."

The conference was then cancelled as EQC did not have time to prepare a report on the latest inspection. It has not yet been rescheduled.

"We're still stuck in limbo.

"We're not expecting anything this year, we're expecting it will be in the new year."

If the case did go to court, Mr Goodier has been advised it would be a seven-day trial in the High Court at Wellington.

"The sense of it going to court is just beyond comprehension," Mr Goodier told the Chronicle.

He expected the legal costs of taking the case to court would be $200,000 for each party - himself, his insurance company and EQC.

He said giving up the fight was not an option.

"Our whole life savings is in that property, we don't have anything else, we don't have Kiwisaver or pension funds or anything like that. That was our retirement fund.

"It could leave us in a position where we have nothing."

Mr Goodier said it could easily take another two years to resolve the issue.

"It shouldn't be a long process, but they've turned it into a long process."

EQC's Trish Keith said she could not discuss specific details of the Goodiers' case.

"It is always EQC's preference to resolve claim disputes before they go through the court process," she said.

"EQC has worked with Whanganui customers whose properties were damaged by landslips in 2015 to help them understand how their settlement was calculated.

"This included individual claim managers working with customers, public meetings, and we had staff based in the city following the flood talking to customers directly."

The couple have continued to pay rates on the property, although the district and regional councils have allowed them to pay half the usual amount.

Mr Goodier has hired a lawyer from Christchurch who has experience in taking EQC to court.